Tractor or skid steer? Just bought 150 acres.

[K5lwq]

I think you need a tractor but you should not buy anything yet.

You said this was farm land(crops). What kind of crops? Who is farming it now? Any farmers in the area that would rent the land and continue farming it?

If you rent it for farming row crop or for hay as mentioned you can get to know the guy farming it and get great advice. They may even have an older tractor that they may sell you so they can upgrade.

If it is being farmed now, how are the tractors getting into the property? Could your drive come off of this entrance instead of new through the woods? Also, I would not want to divide my land with a road. Keep the road to one side or the other to minimize impact on usefulness of the property.

Getting to know farmers in your area will also help with the weed problem. They can tell you exactly how to remove or kill any weeds.

 

[stevem5215]

150 acres is a lot of work. That's going to require a larger investment in equipment. You are building and trying to maintain everything at once. You won't be able to do that. Do it in stages.
1. Build the road. It'll take longer than you think.
2. Build the barn. It'll take longer than you think too.
3. Just getting the permits and other paperwork in order won't happen fast either if the zoning and other stuff isn't right. Takes time.
4. You will use more cash than you think. Building the future in stages is a good way to go.

Buy a tractor and buy one big enough for your tasks.

 

[Aden2112]

Would you consider a shorter term purchase of a big backhoe to do the heavy jobs, then sell it and get a tractor later?

Absolutely. This was what I was kind of thinking I should do.

 

[Aden2112]

What I would do is go with a tractor. It wouldn't even be close for me. I have a lot of experience with a skid steer but never owned one. I have multiple friends who own or have owned them, including my next door neighbor, and I'll admit they are great for a lot of jobs. And horrible for others. What I've found is the maintenance can be expensive and I'm assuming you're buying something older based on your price estimates. You need to budget for some maintenance. As an example, I had to replace the tracks on my 6 ton mini excavator a couple of years ago and the tracks alone were over $3k. Same or similar tracks as on a skid steer.

I can do all of the jobs you listed with a tractor but I can't or wouldn't do all of them with a skid steer. But that brings up another point - taking care of 150 acres with a 60-70 hp tractor is going make for some long days. I realize you're working with a budget but if you could figure a way to get a little bit bigger tractor and a batwing mower you're going to be much happier. That said, I pull a 15' batwing with a 75hp Massey so it's doable. But I'm only mowing about 40 of our 90 acres.

Anyway, you asked what would "you" do, and that's what I would do. Go with the tractor.

Thank you! And yes, I am asking what "you" would do - this is exactly what I was looking for, so seriously - thank you!

 

[Aden2112]

Alarm bells are ringing. This should be a warning sign telling you that this farm purchase is a bad idea. You can't afford the lifestyle you want. Mow 150 acres? WTF, you are sunk before you even begin. YOU can't afford to maintain 150 acres of park land. You can't afford even the fuel and maintenance costs for the equipment you want let alone break downs and repairs buying older equipment in your budget.

Run Forest, Run!

Not looking to argue whether we can afford it or not. We are building a barn with an apartment - and the bank was willing to finance us for more than double what we are financing.

The "can't afford it" is in terms of liquid cash on hand. The bank will finance equipment and structures, but not driveway infrastructure, fence clearing, etc.

We are looking to buy all of the equipment with cash - and have a payment that is the max we are comfortable with.

Just because the bank says we can afford more doesn't mean I agree with them.

 

[Aden2112]

You do not mention climate - Alaska? Florida?
What do you want to do with it? Farm radishes or redwood trees?
I've several hundred acres of what could be termed "rolling farmland on which I act as a "tree farmer". My input is hire the trees to be planted and harvested and wait for creeping suburbs to raise the value enough to sell at a hefty profit.

We are going to be growing specialty hay on about 100 acres and migrate our boarding business to the other 50 acres on this farm. We have established clients - we just need to get the barn built and the paddocks fenced before we can move the business.

 

[Aden2112]

I think you need a tractor but you should not buy anything yet.

You said this was farm land(crops). What kind of crops? Who is farming it now? Any farmers in the area that would rent the land and continue farming it?

If you rent it for farming row crop or for hay as mentioned you can get to know the guy farming it and get great advice. They may even have an older tractor that they may sell you so they can upgrade.

If it is being farmed now, how are the tractors getting into the property? Could your drive come off of this entrance instead of new through the woods? Also, I would not want to divide my land with a road. Keep the road to one side or the other to minimize impact on usefulness of the property.

Getting to know farmers in your area will also help with the weed problem. They can tell you exactly how to remove or kill any weeds.

The last year crops were grown on it was 2 years ago. It was mowed in Jan/Feb sometime and is currently leftover soybeans and weeds.

The owner passed - and he was the one who farmed it - and the estate is selling it.

No equipment available (apparently already sold - I asked).

Current access is through the neighbor's front yard (literally). Neighbors said they would give us 2-3 weeks to clear an entrance for access etc. They are nice, but understandably do not want that type of access to continue.

 

[Aden2112]

150 acres is a lot of work. That's going to require a larger investment in equipment. You are building and trying to maintain everything at once. You won't be able to do that. Do it in stages.
1. Build the road. It'll take longer than you think.
2. Build the barn. It'll take longer than you think too.
3. Just getting the permits and other paperwork in order won't happen fast either if the zoning and other stuff isn't right. Takes time.
4. You will use more cash than you think. Building the future in stages is a good way to go.

Buy a tractor and buy one big enough for your tasks.

Great advice - thank you.

We only need 2 permits. 1 for the main electric hookup - and 1 for the septic. This county made all ag buildings permit exempt to promote farm growth. We are about 10 minutes from a major metro - so this land will be worth an obscene amount of money 30 years from now.

Thank you for the advice - I think you are spot on with all of your points.

Currently looking at a 2010 JD 4x4 80 hp tractor. It fits the budget and is low hours (1.5k hrs).

 

[CliffordK]

Since most of my work is loader work I considered a skid steer a few years ago.

The reason I didn't buy one;
You shouldn't leave the operators seat unless the bucket is on the ground. If you work alone this is a big deal. (There are plenty of dead guys that will agree.)
They are a PITA to get in or out of.
Vision is lousy especially if you can't turn your head like an owl. A camera will help a little but is no substitute for clear vision.
They tend to be noisy compared to a tractor.

Interesting thought. I use my tractor like a fork lift a lot. And, it is frequent that I need to tie, or untie, or arrange the load with the forks up in the air somewhat.

A skid steer could be a pain.

 

[North to Alaska]

Tractor, it will do most everything you need. Sometimes not very efficiently though. Brush clearing is easy…get a root grapple and make sure there is a 3rd function/diverter valve on it.

Adjust your price and size down a little. Grandparents did that much land with less tractor than what you are looking at.
You don’t need to do ALL 150 acres in ONE day.

Putting the drive might be hired operation if you need to get it done quickly. A tractor with a loader and box blade can do a lot but for time sake, hire or rent a dozer?